So Long as Men can Breathe
by Hotaru21
Summary: ...they draw their breath in pain. Severus is bitten by a werewolf while trying to rescue Remus. Snape doesn't take being a lycanthrope very well. Is there a way out of it? How will he cope? SSRL SLASH


AN Well, welcome to my newest fic. I have big plans for this one! I hope you like! Thanks to Sike for beta-ing . . .

_**IMPORTANT NOTES TO READ**_

This is going to be angsty Remus/Severus SLASH (yay!)

Yo people . . . HBP has NOT happened, and Sirius is not dead, when he fell through the veil, he landed on the other side of the frame with a thud, got up, and ran with the other Order members… so deal. My world, my rules people…

I am not an astronomer. I have little knowledge of moon cycles etc. so be warned!

**Chapter 1**

He saw him, finally after two days of watching. He found the steel cage that seemed to be guarded by at least two people at all times.

Later that evening, Snape watched as the pack assembled around Remus' cage. "There are so many of them!" he thought as he viewed the fray. The monsters circled the one he had been searching for, the evening casting nearly no light for him to see. He quickly slid through the forest until he was behind his quest. The men had moved off to discuss how they would torture him again, he supposed. He had been searching for weeks before he had found this secluded spot. He had watched as the man suffered under the men's' cruel actions. He slid into earshot of the man. "Lupin" he hissed. Remus Lupin jumped at the sound. He hadn't known that there were any humans in the vicinity.

"Severus?" he gasped, "how did you find me? Why did you find me?" Severus paused, he didn't really know why he was searching so frantically for Lupin . . . "yes you do" his mind told him sternly, "you know exactly why you set out to find him the moment you heard he was missing". "Shut up Lupin!" Severus snapped. The werewolves started and turned in his direction.

"Oh shit" hissed Severus. The lycanthropes snarled and Severus managed to deflect seven spells before his wand soared into the forest. The men launched themselves towards Lupin and Snape. Then their leader stopped. He gestured for his cohorts to do likewise. Then the large man grinned.

"Seize him!" he barked, and Severus was snatched from behind and held by two very large men. "Well, well, well" the leader said, "look what we've got here! Send for someone did you Lupin? Well we'll see what happens now!"

* * *

"No!" Lupin cried. Severus was going to be killed because of him, "how can I get out of this?" he thought to himself, and then Remus cried "I never sent for him! I sent for no one! I am loyal to the pack!" The leader raised an eyebrow at Remus' frantic words. Then he nodded.

"Very well" the man said. "I have misjudged you, Lupin. Release him!" Remus sighed with relief. The Order must have noticed he was missing. Tonight he could free Severus and send him back! Remus' thoughts were interrupted. The Leader was speaking again.

"Lupin, you know tonight is the night!" Shit, thought Remus, he had forgotten…"You will perform the sacrifice and join the pack, thus proving your strength and loyalty. In return the pack will protect you" Remus nodded, unsure of what was going to happen.

"What must I do?" Remus asked nervously. The Leader grinned,

"Nothing much really, oh, transform and kill him" Remus was afraid, he did not know whether he could defeat another werewolf, and then he froze as he saw that the leader's finger indicated not the werewolf holding Severus, but Severus himself. Remus nodded, and was led to "prepare" himself in the half hour before the moon rose. Damn, Remus thought, what the hell am I going to do? To remain a spy, I have to kill him, if I don't, they'll kill us both! I am so fucked….

* * *

"My kin!" the leader called, "we are gathered on this most sacred night to initiate Lupin into our pack. He will slay this most wicked spy who has penetrated our very colony! No one is to interfere, unless the Code indicates!" The pack nodded their agreement, most looked anxious about their imminent pain. Remus thought he was going to pass out…

* * *

Well, thought Severus, this is it. I am going to die, and there is not one fucking thing I can do about it. Damn it all! Severus' insides froze as he saw the moon commence to rise in the sky. The lycanthropes were beginning their transformations. Bloody hell! Severus was bound so tightly to a stake that he could barely breathe. I don't want to be eaten by a bloody werewolf! All my mastery, everything I know, and some animal is going to slit me open and feast on my insides. Fan-bloody-tastic! Severus looked on with mild horror as the pack assembled around him. The one in the center was Lupin, he supposed. "This is gratitude", muttered Severus. A few moments later, Severus was wondering why he was still the happy owner of his innards. Sure enough, the Leader growled and shoved Remus forward. What on earth is he doing? Severus wondered. Suddenly, Lupin lunged in towards Severus, and the circle closed in. Remus slashed at him, and Severus closed his eyes. His bindings fell to the ground. Severus stared in incredulity, as Lupin faced the pack and snarled. The Leader howled in rage and threw himself at Lupin, who fought back savagely. The Leader tossed Remus and grabbed hold of Snape, and then Lupin's form collided with the two. They were fighting over Severus who was being jarred back and forth as the Leader still held him as Remus fought to free Severus. Severus suddenly felt an intense pain and screamed; his head smashed against the stake, and he was knocked into blissfully pain-free unconsciousness.

* * *

"Severus, Severus?"

Severus could hear a voice calling him. It sounded so far away…. He wasn't sure that he could reach the voice, but it was a voice that he knew well.

"Severus, can you hear me?" the voice asked.

"No" Severus muttered, opening his eyes. He gazed around the room and cringed at the intruding light. He wanted to know where on earth he was, but he refused to utter the cliché question.

"You're at Headquarters" Albus Dumbledore said "I summoned Madame Pomphrey here"

"We wanted to take you to St Mungo's, but you would not have been safe there" Madame Pomphrey explained. Severus looked down at himself, and saw that he was a mess. He promptly remembered why he was in such a state.

"Where is Lupin?" he demanded, attempting to rise. When he did so, he was submerged in excruciating pain. "Bloody hell" he hissed. Madame Pomphrey looked at Dumbledore.

"Remus is recovering here as well. He was badly injured, but managed to bring you both back here in the morning" Albus said, "He saved your life"

"I'll be sure to send a thank you note" Snape said through clenched teeth. His left arm was killing him. As was his head. Suddenly the door burst open to admit Sirius Black, Professor McGonagall, Tonks, Harry, Hermione, and a hoard of red-headed people.

"We just heard" Molly cried, "what happened, how did it…" Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly.

"That is quite enough" Madame Pomphrey shrieked, enraged. "This cacophony will cease this instant!" There was dead silence in the room.

"Now you all" began Dumbledore, "Severus is recovering and has not heard everything…"

"What is that supposed to mean" snapped Severus, "What have you told these fools about me that I do not know!" Sirius smirked

"Don't like that one, do you? We know a whole lot about what happened and you're not going to like it one bit?" Snape was livid. Must not kill him, he told himself, while his mind wondered why not. Lupin, he thought, Lupin must be in bad shape.

"I suppose Black that you are enjoying the one, brief moment in your life that you know one insignificant thing I don't! Considering, well, that you still do nothing, and I was injured saving your best friend, and will go on working while you simply exist for nothing". Sirius' face was a very ugly shade of red.

"Oh yeah!" Sirius snarled. "You saved him all right; from a pack of werewolves, and you might want to take a look at your bandages before you talk about your future!"

What? Severus thought. What is he talking about?

* * *

To the eyes of everyone in the room, Severus simply vanished.

"Sirius!" Dumbledore actually yelled, "We were going to break it to him gently! You have no idea what he might do now!" Sirius looked away, abashed.

"Where has he gone?" asked Madame Pomphrey. Dumbledore shook his head.

"I haven't the faintest inclination of where to begin to look" he said sadly. "Sirius, I only hope you understand the atrocity of what you have done."

* * *

Severus hadn't disappeared; he had merely disapparated to a deserted room in the basement of Grimmauld place that he had used to make potions for the Order. He was frankly surprised that he had had the strength to go so far.

What was Black talking about? He wondered. His entire body was almost vibrating in pain after the exertion of apparating. His left forearm was killing him. It was probably the Dark Lord summoning him. Madame Pomphrey's bandages extended from wrist to elbow. He unwound the wrist to his Dark Mark, and found it faded grey. "What?" Severus muttered into the darkness. It wasn't the Mark. He unwound the rest of the bandage.

"Bloody buggering fuck!" he bellowed into the empty room. Just above his Dark Mark, still oozing blood, were two semi-circles of sharp fang marks.

**AN** Well, I hope you enjoyed! Please review! Let me know either way! This one was kind of short, next ones should be longer!


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